ARLINGTON, Texas – David Fry stood in the visiting locker room at Houston's Minute Maid Park 366 days after his major league debut and reflected on the journey that took him from Northwestern State to the major leagues and a debut at Yankee Stadium.
 
"It was pretty amazing," Fry said ahead of the Guardians' May 2 game against the Houston Astros. "When you're in the minors, you always think there's a chance (to make the major leagues), but there are times when you think, 'I'm doing this for as long as I can, and then I'll start my coaching career.' Then you get the call, and you're like, 'Holy cow! Let's go!'"
 
The call that summoned Fry to join Cleveland in New York on May 1, 2023, was joined by another "holy cow" moment roughly 14 months later when the 2018 Southland Conference Player of the Year and All-American became the first former Demon baseball player to be selected to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He joins seven-time All-Star and National Baseball Hall of Famer Lee Smith – a former Demon basketball player – as NSU representatives at the Midsummer Classic.
 
"It's a similar feeling – they're both awesome," Fry said. "Getting called up, it's very personal – just you and the Triple-A manager telling you you're going up. The All-Star Game thing was so cool, being in the middle of the locker room and everyone going nuts. It was a cool feeling."
 
The Guardians' X (formerly Twitter) account posted videos of the team's reaction to manager Stephen Vogt announcing Fry and teammate Josh Naylor's selection as American League reserves.
 
Naylor and Fry will join three other Guardians – third baseman Jose Ramirez, closer Emanuel Clase and outfielder Steven Kwan – at Globe Life Field for Tuesday's game. Fittingly, Kwan and Fry will make their first All-Star Game appearances together.
 
The two squared off in 2018 when Fry and the Demons traveled to Corvallis, Oregon, for the NCAA Regionals, hosted by Kwan's eventual national champion Oregon State Beavers. The two have been able to reconnect for most of the past season-plus, which has led to a good bit of reminiscing.
 
"We talk about it every now and then," Fry said of recalling the regional with Kwan. "Every time, he asks, 'Who was the really short guy who always hit well against us?' I'm like, 'Yeah, Lenni Kunert.'"
 
Ahead of the Guardians' series-finale loss to Houston on May 2, Fry was hitting .327 with 18 RBIs – and neither he nor the rest of the American League knew what was coming.
 
Across his final 56 at-bats of May, Fry homered seven times and drove in 18 runs while putting together a .375/.529/.768 slash line. Combined with the Guardians' success in May, Fry saw his name appear alongside Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds for what he did in a 14-game span in May.
 
In that time, Fry joined the two legends as the only major leaguers with five or more home runs, 15 or more RBIs, 10 or more walks, three or more stolen bases, more home runs than strikes and 12 or more team wins in a 14-game stretch. The hot streak coincided with an injury to Kwan, which opened the door for the versatile former Demon to make his mark.
 
"That's pretty wild," Fry said. "Coming out of spring training, I'm just trying to make the team. After that, coming off the bench, just trying to give the team good at-bats and play multiple positions. Kwanny going down, the team didn't want that, and I didn't want that, but I got more opportunities to play. It was one of those deals, talking with (his wife) Rebekah and I think (former NSU head coach Bobby) Barbier even said it when he was in town, I'm not sure I've ever had or will have another three weeks like that. It seemed like every ball I hit hard found a hole. Every ball I got jammed, it found a hole. If I hit it off the end of the bat, it found a hole. If I took a pitch on the edge of the strike zone, the umpire called it a ball. Everything was lining up."
 
Fry's versatility played a pivotal role in making his first All-Star team as his red-hot May with Kwan, an All-Star Game starter, out for most of the month kept the Guardians atop the American League Central.
 
"To see somebody who wasn't supposed to make it to the big leagues but earns his way into an everyday role, and then is elected by his peers to go to the All-Star Game, I couldn't be more proud of David," Vogt told Cleveland.com. "It's just such a great story."
 
There is another level of greatness to Fry's first All-Star Game – it comes less than 20 miles from his hometown of Colleyville, Texas, and from Grapevine High School where he played before signing with Northwestern State.
 
Being close to home – and the second-closest MLB park to Natchitoches – has allowed Fry to feel even more comfortable as a first-time All-Star.
 
"Rebekah and (the Frys' daughter) Evelyn being there is going to be so cool, and having Evelyn on the field for the Home Run Derby (on Monday) is going to be so much fun," he said. "My parents and my brother and his wife will be there. Some people around us – I got a text from (Northwestern State head baseball coach Chris) Bert(rand) on (Friday) night that he and his family are coming. Barbier and his dad are coming. High school coaches, high school teammates, college teammates, so many people are saying, 'I know you're busy, but I wanted to let you know we're going to be there.' The fact people – with whatever they have going on – they're stopping it to come this game. That's so cool – the amount of support we have around us and the good, genuine people who really care. It's really, really cool to be part of."
 
The same can be said for the traveling Cleveland contingent that boarded a flight from Tampa following Sunday's game and headed to the Metroplex where Fry hopes to have a sense of déjà vu circa 2018.
 
"All of us will be on the field when Hosey (Ramirez) is hitting in the Home Run Derby," Fry said. "We all feel pretty good about how he's going to win it for us. Hopefully, it ends up being like that 2018 season where we win the Home Run Derby and win the league. Hopefully, Hosey wins the Derby, and we win it all."
 
Regardless of the outcome of Monday night's Derby and Tuesday's game, Fry will head into the second half of his first full season in the big leagues grateful and confident.
 
"There have been a bunch of crazy parts of it, but it's been so much fun," he said. "This team, every day you show up to the field, and you're excited to play whether we won or lost the night before. It's such a fun group, and everything's worked out. It's pretty obvious God's been in control and has a plan, because so many things have happened as the year has gone on where things have lined up for me personally and for this team with the way we've had success. It's been so much fun. This staff keeps us loose, and they're fun to be around. They really care and keep it light. It's an awesome group."